The other day I was reading my friend’s fabulous baking blog which showcases her amazing gift with such beautifully photographed details.  She said she started it because my blog had inspired her.  She wrote about making rhubarb ginger jam which in turn inspired me to go to the fridge and finally use that rhubarb I had bought at a local farm.  I made a strawberry rhubarb compote because I didn’t have enough of either to make a pie.  It is so easy to make and takes as much time to cook as it does to chop.  I don’t have any jars for jam so didn’t even consider it. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

• 1-2 stalks rhubarb
•  1-2 cups of chopped strawberries
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2-3 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Just chop one large stalk of rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces and heat over med-high heat with water and sugar for several minutes, add strawberries (about 1/2 inch pieces) and lemon juice.  Stirring constantly simmer for couple of minutes until soft.  You want the strawberries to retain their color.  Take off heat and cool.  Perfect stirred into yogurt or over vanilla ice cream.  My eldest son would eat a whole bowl of just it alone, if allowed.

Amanda had made strawberry scones to serve with her rhubarb-ginger jam.  It brought back memories of scones.  Like my first trip to Wanaka, New Zealand when I was 16.  I had asked, looking up at a menu in the maze snack shop, “What’s a scone?” (I pronounced like you would “cone” in a thick American accent).  My friends thought it was hysterical because there they pronounce it “scon” (as in “gone”).  Well, however you say it, I have enjoyed scones ever since, but I’ve never made myself.  Eating some in Devonshire with real clotted cream and fresh jam is another stand-out memory.    

Anyway, Amanda is such a fabulous baker, she even sells her delicious and beautifully decorated cakes and cookies now, and I was thinking what a treat it would be to eat her scone with her jam.  I dished out my strawberry-rhubarb compote, a poor substitute, but delicious anyway.  I had just put some on vanilla yogurt when the doorbell rang, which I answered it, bowl in hand.  It was Amanda with a jar of her jam!  What a great surprise and nice treat!  And without as much as a “hello”, I just handed her the yogurt/compote for her to eat. 

I wanted to taste the jam in similar manner as she wrote about. So, the following day, I used her scone recipe, but made some with strawberries and some with blueberries.  Since the strawberries were fresh, those scones tasted best.  My scones didn’t look quite as scrumptious as hers, probably because I don’t have anything near the baking talent that she does, but they were yummy.  My children loved them!  Funny how full circle it had come.  We’d inspired each other to do something we may have previously felt was daunting, but not that difficult once we began.

© 2010 mykidsreallyeatthis.com